The present invention relates to a pipeline network, and more specifically, to leak localization in a pipeline network.
Pipeline networks that transport water, natural gas, or other resources can traverse hundreds of miles at or above the surface. Sensors and other equipment may be located at regular or irregular intervals of the network (e.g., every 30-100 miles). In the exemplary case of a gas pipeline, the sensors may include a pressure sensor, and the equipment may include a compression station that increases pressure to push the gas along the pipeline (toward the next compression station). In the exemplary case of a water pipeline, the sensors may measure flow rate. Exemplary pipeline systems may also involve the injection of an acoustic signal and acoustic sensors. The equipment associated with a pipeline would additionally include communication equipment to transmit the sensor information. A supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system obtains data from and provides control to the remote sensors and equipment.